PSYC 104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Random Assignment, Groupthink, Birth Order
PSYC104 Lecture 3 Notes 4/16/18
Social Comparison Theory: Kurt Lewin and Leon Festinger
- People have the fundamental drive to evaluate their drives and opinions
oAre your opinions and abilities reasonable?
oCan do objective checking through physical reality: have you mastered the material in
the course? Can check through physical reality by taking final test
oIn almost all circumstances, the physical reality is unsatisfactory or not obtainable
Some things cannot be tested by physical reality. Can test based on other people’s
abilities (social comparison)
oDriven to check your abilities compared to people like you
oStrong pressure to seek out similar others
oYou want a partner that is like you because you can have meaningful social comparison
Occurs with religions, political parties, etc.
- Social comparison can occur inadvertently
oEx: you go to a workplace in a suit and tie. Your coworker also wears a suit and tie.
Through social comparison, you think you’ve dressed appropriately. You spill on your
suit, so you wear a sports coat. Your coworker sees you and thinks that he doesn’t need
to wear a suit anymore, so he wears a sports coat. Can continually diverge
oStrong pressure toward uniformity
- Once you’re in a group, you can put strong pressure on other members of group to accept
your ideas
oPressure of uniformity differs depending on the groups. Specialized groups exert more
pressure on you. The less easily the group can be replaced, the more pressure can be
exerted on you
oThe less you care about a group, the less power they have over you
- Experimental methods to determine social comparison: Schachter
oRecruited college students to join social society to debate modern issues. Some college
students wanted to join these societies and some were less willing
oAsked to discuss Johnny Rocko: picked up by the police for vandalism. Parents have tried
to teach him not to be like this, but he was getting worse. What’s the right approach to
take with this troubled boy? Discipline or love?
oIn the group, if the consensus is love, they are the conformists. Deviates believe in
discipline, and sliders initially believe in discipline, then believe in love
oIf asked to nominate people to leave the group, people nominated the deviates
oIf asked to nominate people to clean up after the meeting, people nominated the
deviates
oHow important the group is to you changes your willingness to nominate the deviate.
The more important it is, the more willing you are
- Track desire for affiliation to do social comparison
oIndependent variable: created conditions that produced low anxiety and high anxiety
(states of electric shock)
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